Dirty Pool Podcast Ep05 – Maker of Mischief: David Van Es from Barrels of Fun

David Van Es joins us to talk about launching Barrels of Fun, building a creative-first pinball company, and the wild process behind their debut game Labyrinth. With Dune now on the line, we dig into how his background in film and licensing feeds into game development—and why the second act might be even more ambitious than the first. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:52 - David Flips The Tables. Why Did Dirty Pool Start Streaming... 00:02:05 - David's History In Film and TV 00:04:30 - Working for 2 decades before Pinball 00:05:12 - David's Years at @SpookyPinball 00:08:15 - First Game Purchase after returning to the hobby... Tales From The Crypt 00:11:44 - The Birth of @BoFPinball 00:13:45 - Pinball is package of Experiences like a film 00:16:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving 00:17:31 - How Does BoF approach the building blocks of an IP 00:19:08 - The People That Work At BoF Are Appreciated 00:21:28 - Do What You Love First and The Money Will Follow 00:22:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving 00:22:22 - What Are Some Things in Labrynth That Were a Challenge 00:25:12 - Are BoF Games Good for Operators 00:26:08 - Storytelling First 00:27:32 - Do the Flippers Really Feel Different on a BoF game? 00:28:28 - Karl @IEPinball is sick so we're going to talk about him 00:29:20 - David's Worst Outlanes in History 00:30:00 - Chat Questions - Is Labrynth too Hard (7.5 degree incline!) 00:31:20 - How To Onboard New Pin Owners 00:33:30 - Every Pin is Unique and Needs Unique Tweaking 00:34:20 - Seriously Labrynth is supposed to be at 7.5 degrees. 00:34:41 - Details on a Pinball Machine Matter 00:36:58 - Data East Star Wars was David's First Experience in Pinball 00:41:13 - Chat Questions - Dune Code Regrets? 00:42:00 - Collaboration With a Licensor is Key 00:45:02 - "Cinematic Experience" 00:46:28 - Mode Stacking and Dune 00:48:02 - BoF Listens To Feedback 00:51:09 - Why Did You Make Dune? 00:56:05 - Pick an IP you have Access to Assets for. 00:56:30 - What Isn't In Dune? 00:57:02 - How Acquiring Assets Works 00:58:33 - New Callouts and Characters Coming to Dune 00:58:55 - How Do Licensors Get Paid From Pinball Sales? 01:01:02 - Is Dune Hitting Sales Expectations? 01:02:32 - Dune is $1000 more... why? 01:04:18 - HAL Lighting System is actually pretty Awesome. 01:02:32 - Dune is $1000 more... why? 01:05:54 - Dune Demands Bass 01:09:04 - Why Aren't There a Lot Of Mods For BoF Games? 01:10:04 - A World Under Glass 01:10:26 - Flinstones Best Rocks? 01:11:04 - BoF pinball machines have unique ball paths. 01:11:31 - The Worm Looks Like a Prolapsed Anus. 01:12:29 - If We Can Suck It Down... We Can Rise It Up! 01:13:27 - The Worm is a COMPLEX mech 01:18:00 - Talking Dune Experience 01:20:04 - Growing Barrels of Fun and International Shipping 01:22:33 - Manufacturers want to get your game to you ASAP 01:24:58 - Warrantees and Consumers 01:25:25 - How To Warranty A Machine That Kills Itself 01:25:39 - BoF Confirms Next Game is Conan - The Barbarian (Not really but not a bad idea!) 01:31:15 - Chat Wants 5th Element 01:32:30 - Backglass Give Away! Congrats Jbiscuity 01:34:02 - Lets Talk Alternate Backglasses 01:34:39 - I don't Want to Look at Timothy Chale-mutt. 01:34:51 - Accessories for Dune and Timelines 01:36:37 - Googly Eyes and @electricbatarcade 01:37:15 - David Goes To Show Off Topper - Self Dirty Pool Plug Intermission 01:37:45 - Topper! 01:39:30 - Support All Smaller Pinball Companies... @BoFPinball @SpookyPinball @dutchpinball @PinballBrothers @pedrettigaming388 01:40:28 - Got an Idea for Bof? Here's How To Get In Touch 01:41:00 - Factory Tour? Just Ask! 01:41:19 - What's Houston Like? 01:44:19 - Making Playfields In House? 01:46:10 - Outro? 01:47:04 - Bye. #DirtyPoolPinball #DPPP #PinballPodcast #BarrelsofFun #LabyrinthPinball #DunePinball #DavidVanEs #PinballDesign #PinballBusiness #ModernPinball #PinballLife #SternPinball #JerseyJackPinball #SpookyPinball #DutchPinball #TurnerPinball #PinballCEO #PinballTalk #BehindTheFlippers #PinballCommunity #PinballMachines #PinballProduction